Favorite Hip flexor stretch?

One of my hip flexors is quite tight and am looking for a good way to stretch it. I have been guilty of not stretching after my bike rides, and since I have started getting my weekly mileage as high as it is getting I am starting to notice. After spinning class it is quite difficult for me to do the stretch on one leg where you grab your foot behind you and pull it toward your body - trying to keep your body in a straight line. On one side I can do it, but not the other.

I hope that all made sense :o

So what is your favorite stretch to work this? I am trying my very best to remember to stretch after all bike rides, but it is hard to remember...

The interesting thing is that it seems to be my dominant leg that I am having the most problem with in this department.

I found this stretch to try at home, are there others?

The stretch you described is a quad stretch.

There are many good hip flexor stretches.

The pigeon pose is one.
this is another

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Originally Posted by Catrin

The interesting thing is that it seems to be my dominant leg that I am having the most problem with in this department.

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Of course it is. That muscle is larger and tighter.
Just keep stretching

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Originally Posted by Zen

The stretch you described is a quad stretch.

There are many good hip flexor stretches.

The pigeon pose is one.
this is another

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Thanks, and I will look up the pigeon pose. I was told that the reason I couldn't stand up on one side while doing the quad stretch was because the hip flexor needed some work. Regardless, I need to get better with stretching in general...the only time I ever do it is after spinning class because the instructor makes sure that we do.

Since my hip starting bothering me over the winter, I'm pretty religious about doing the hip flexor stretch Zen suggested. I also do pigeon in just about every yoga class I go to. If you have tight hips, it can be hard to do. I also find one of the harder poses to do correctly, but maybe that's because my hips are tight. :(

For cycling purposes, I have to religiously do hamstring and IT band stretches. I also do a stretch when my sciatic nerve starts causing me problems after a long ride.

This one works for me. Hopefully Knotted will chime in and tell us if we're doing something stupid (or smart).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bv1471TaM3A

Tulip, I used to do that one in PT. It is a good one but you need to be on a table.
Something that I've found to have a similar effect is to lay supine and do a hamstring stretch with yoga strap on one leg and have the opposite leg straight out.

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Originally Posted by Zen

you need to be on a table.

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You can do it on a picnic table at the park if you don't mind the way people look at you. ;)

A gentle one I like is to do essentially a side-lying quadriceps stretch, but hook a stretchy band around the top of the foot of the leg you're stretching. Holding the band in your top hand, bring it overhead (French press position), keep your top femur parallel to the floor, and let the band bring the knee of that leg behind the hip.

Full (prone) bow pose is more of a backbend, but it gets into the hip flexors too, and standing bow pose really gets them, for me.

Careful of your knees when you do pigeon pose, and make sure your hips are level.

My kitchen island works for that stretch. I could also do it on my front porch if I wanted to be public about it.

just be sure to wear undies ;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Zen

The stretch you described is a quad stretch.

There are many good hip flexor stretches.

The pigeon pose is one.
this is another



Of course it is. That muscle is larger and tighter.
Just keep stretching

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I do the stretch shown in the link, except I also raise the arm and reach upward on the side that I'm stretching. It's helped me a lot. In fact this reminds me that I should be stretching right now.

Pushing the warrior poses helps me a LOT. Or just kneeling with one foot in front, and leaning towards the front foot.

Yoga in general has done wonders for my hip flexors.

Hmmm, I need to get a stretchy band or a small rope for home use. I don't have any belts around, thanks for the tips everyone!

A dog leash is cheaper than a yoga band if you shop at the right place.
Or you already have a towel.

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Originally Posted by Zen

A dog leash is cheaper than a yoga band if you shop at the right place.
Or you already have a towel.

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Duh, didn't even think of a towel, good idea. I just need to make myself remember the need for stretching after a long ride - or probably any ride. I felt so good at the end of my 60 mile ride this past Saturday (my very first one) that I didn't even THINK about stretching until something like 2 hours later and I was doing something else by then.

Any stretches that don't involve being on your knees? :(

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Originally Posted by snapdragen

Any stretches that don't involve being on your knees? :(

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Look at that YouTube video.

Warrior 1 & 2. Make sure your front foot is as far forward as you can balance with the knee directly above the foot (so make sure the knee isn't coming forward of that foot)...you'll get a good stretch through the opposite hip flexor.

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Originally Posted by tulip

Look at that YouTube video.

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Can't right now - youtube not allowed at work. :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by jessmarimba

Warrior 1 & 2. Make sure your front foot is as far forward as you can balance with the knee directly above the foot (so make sure the knee isn't coming forward of that foot)...you'll get a good stretch through the opposite hip flexor.

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That sounds too close to a lunge position, those aren't allowed either. Bad knees suck.

The side lying one and the table lying one don't involve getting on your knees. The table lying one doesn't even require you to bend the knee of the leg you're stretching, other than just to relax the quads and let it hang.

I do fitness walking to keep my hip joints movable and non-aching.
When you fitness walk properly, the idea is not to lunge forward as you take each step, but rather the goal is to keep your back foot on the ground as long as possible before you bring it forward to take each new step. This stretches the leg back past the straight-with-the-back angle, like the guy hanging his leg down off the table in the stretching video. When I walk properly for 3 or 4 miles, I feel wonderfully afterwards and my hip joint areas feel really good.
I have found that biking won't do this at all, and if I only bike for fitness and ignore my walks, then after a couple of weeks my hips start feeling creaky and aching again.
Even when your leg in on the downstroke and your knee is almost straight while pedaling, your hip joint is still bent as though you are sitting, so it doesn't get your leg back to keep the hips fully flexible.
just my own experience. :)

Another variation on the tabletop stretch from Tulip's video, if you don't have a table, is to lie down with a thick, firm pillow under your hips so you can pike your legs in the air, then scissor one leg forward, one back. It's great if you have a friend to help you with the stretch, but if not you can just breathe into it and let gravity do the work.

If you don't have a pillow and your neck and shoulders can handle it, you can prop hips up with your elbows on the ground and hands on your butt. But that's a pretty extreme position and I don't think I get as much benefit out of it.